Even a Blind Chicken Sometimes Finds a Grain of Corn—In My Case in Space

Abstract

AbstractSometimes you need to take strategic risks even though you cannot know in advance where they will lead. I left my comfortable city life in Helsinki for a PhD position in space physics far away in the Arctic. The first part of the title of this paper is a compliment—originally a German proverb—a throwaway comment from a professor in connection with my decision. Good luck also helps. When I was appointed as a university lecturer, I did not have a clue about a new law in Sweden opening the possibility for promotion of suitably qualified lecturers to professorships. Taking risks have several times been to my advantage. Even my most important discovery, meteor head echoes, was the result of a risky idea for observing sporadic E‐layers. Instead, we got the first direct signals from the plasma coma around the very fast small grains entering from space into Earth's atmosphere monitored with a high‐power large‐aperture (HPLA) radar. In addition to my research activities, I have been interested in equal opportunities and gender issues. The many twists along my way have enriched my knowledge capital. At the top of my career, sitting in decision‐making bodies I finally learned and can now, afterward, reveal some secrets about how things work.